Sheet-feeding mechanism for forming machines



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 19 1926.

Filed March 10 n M M L, W m

\ m u O (U U U u v \N N l MN M MN 0 w a (GL1 w MN A r Q Q MN MN M Q Q MEME M N N QW Jan. 19 1926. 1,570,592 L. E. PARKER SHEET FEEDING MECHANISMFOR FORMING MACHINES Filed March 10, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 19 1926.

I L. E. PARKER snnm FEEDING MEGHANIM FOR FORMING mcnmns 4 Sheets-Sheet 5Filed March 10, 1925 atboz M1 Jan. 19 1926.

L.v E. PARKER snsm FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FORMING mcnmns Filed March 10,1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented 1m. 1a, 1926. UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

menu a rnnxnn, or wanswoa'rn, onto, assrenon are run OHIO Karon coxrm,01' WADSWOBTE, onto, a conronarron or one.

- mar-mama MECHANISM roar-01mins moms.

a nmaonmea 1mm 10, 1925. Serial Io. 14,522.

To allwhbm it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, Looms E. Rename, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wadsworth, in the county of Medina and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Im rovement in Sheet-Feeding Mechanismfor orming Machines, of which the following is a full,clear, and exactdescription. 7

This invention relates to mechanism for feeding sheets of paper,cardboard, or the like from a pile or stack of same, to a machine forformin the sheets into commercial articles, such as oxes.

In the particular application of the invention herein shown, the sheetsof paper or the like are fed from the stack or pile to a machine whichscores, blanks, folds and pastes the paper to form match box 'shucks.

The object of the invention is to supplant hand-feeding of the formingmachine with an automatic feeding device, which operates in such amanner that while one sheet is being operated upon-by the formingmachine,- another sheet will be in such cooperative relation to theforming machine that upon completion of a predetermined operation of theforming machine upon the sheet last previously fed, the sheet being fedwill be available for immediate introduction into the forming machine,the feed action of the automatic feed mechanism being such that thesheet being fed into'the forming machine will determine the time forcommencing the feed of the next subsequent sheet.

The invention consists in a feed device for forming machines or thelike,'comprising a bed adapted to receive a plurality of sheets of paperor the like in stacked relation, and means associated with said bed forfeeding the sheets one at a time therefrom, means being provided incombination with the feeding means for preventing the feeding of morethan one sheet at a time, and in the event of more than one sheetstarting to feed, will return the additional sheet to the pile 0r stack,in combination with a forming machine having a stop memberautomaticallyoperated in timed relation to the operation of certainmechanism of the forming machine and against which the sheet being fedis caused to abut during this feeding movement to form a buckle in saidsheet, the completion of the feed of said sheet from said feedingmechanism determining the time for commencement of the feed of the nextsubsequent sheet, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanym drawings illustrating the invention, m t ev severalfigures of which like. parts are similar] designated,

Figure 1 is a sectional lon itu inal-side elevational view of thefeedlng device of my invention illustrating its association with a paperor the ike beneath these rollers. Fig.

5 is a section taken substantially on the hue machine of knownconstruction.

5-5 of Fig. 4.' Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 6-6 ofReferring particularly to Fig. 1, the forming machine includes the bed1, a reciprocable head 2 which blanks out the strip or sheet, feedrollers 3, a pressure roller 4 and scoring rollers 5 and 6,respectively.

The feed rollers 3 are double diameter rollers, the portions 7 thereofbeing of less radius than the portions 8, whereby when the portions 7are passing under the pressure roller 4 the will be out of contact withthe sheet intro uced between the feed and pressure rollers, but when theportions 8 are brought into line with the pressure roller 4 feed actionwill beimparted to the sheet.

Mounted upon the shaft 9 of the feed rollers 3 is a cam 10 whichcooperates with a roller 11 carried by a-vertically reciprocable frame12-provided with a stop member 13 which extends upwardly through thetable 14 of the forming machine and acts to normally prevent the passageof the sheet past it. The roller 11 is held in engagement with the cam10 by means of a spring 15 connected with an extension 16 of the frame12, and with a bracket 17 mounted upon the frame of the forming machine.

It will be seen that the contour of the cam 10 corresponds approximatelywith the contour of the feed rollers 3 so that when the portion 7 of thefeed rollers is passing under the pressure roller 4,- the stop 13 willbe projected u wardly throu h the table 14, but when t e portion 8 o therollers 3 is site ends.

passing under the pressure roller 4, the stop 13 will be retracted so asto provide a clear passage for the sheet between the feed rollers 3 andpressure roller 4.

Referrin to the automatic feed mechanism, it wi 1 be seen that I providea platform 18 upon which is stacked the pile of sheets of paper or thelike a. At the end of this platform 18 nearest to the forming machine isarranged a pair of uprights 19 provided with vertically slidable bearingmembers 20 in which are journallcd shafts 21, 22 and 23. The shaft 21carries a feed roller 24, having a running fit thereon, and providedwith a friction surface of rubber or other suitable material 25, andhaving a pair of ratchets 26 fixed to it at its oppo- These ratchets areengaged by pawls 27 carried upon disks 28 keyed or pinned to the shaft21 and turning with it. Any suitable chain and sprocket gearing or thelike (not shown) maybe provided upon the end 5 of the shaft 21 forimparting rotation to the shaft, the power for driving same beingderived preferably from the drive of the forming machine.

The shafts 22 and 23' carry similar knurled rollers 29 and 29, and theseshafts are geared together by chain and sprocket gearing 30, 31 and 32,whereby they are caused to turn in opposite directions in relation totheir contact with the sheets fed between them. The shaft 23 is gearedto the shaft 21 so as to turn with it by means of chain and sprocketgearing 33, 34 and 35. It will be seen by this arrangement that theroller 24 turning in the direction of the arrow (Figs. 1 and 3),the'roller 29 w1ll be rotated in the same direction and the roller 29through its gearing 30, 31 and 32 will be turned in the oppositedirection in relation to the sheets being fed, as above stated.

As before stated, the bearings 20 are slidably mounted upon the uprights19 and are connected by a frame 36, 37, 38 supported by means of a chain39 which runs over a pulley 40 journalled in a cross-member 41 carriedat the top of the uprights 19 and thence over a sprocket 42 alsojournaled in the cross-member 41. The free end of the chain 39 carries acounter-balance 43 of such Weight as to admit of the roller 24 exertinfeeding pressure upon the sheet of the pile of sheets with which it isin contact. Obviously, when it is desired to stop or dis continue feedof the sheets from the pile, it is merely necessary to rotatelthe shaft44 by which the sprocket 42 is carried and thereby raise the frame 36,37, 38 carrying the bearings 20, so that the feed rollers will beelevated to a position out of contact with the sheets of the pile. Inorder that the sprocket 42 may be conveniently rotated, I provide theshaft 44 with a hand-wheel 45 and a pawl and ratchet mechanism 46, 47.

24 is in contact with the top sheet of the" "pile of sheets, and thatpower has been applied to the shaft 21 to drive it and the roller 24 inthe direction of the arrow, Figs. 1 and 3, and that the forming machineis in operation; the rotation of the feed roller 24 will cause thetopmost sheet a ofthe ile of sheets to be fed out between the rol ers 29and 29 and against the stop 13, as indicated in Fig. 1. Now, upon thecontinuation of the feed of the sheet a buckle will be formed thereinbetween the rollers 29, 29' and the stop 13, as indicated at a and thisbuckle will continue to form until the rotation of the feed rollers 3has reached the point where their portions 8 are about to engage withthe sheet and press it against t e pressure roller 4. Atthis time, thestop 13 will be retracted by means of the spring 15 due to the fact thatthe low portion of the cam 10 has come around to position in contactwith the roller 11. The portion 8 of the roller 3 now being in contactwith the sheet and the stop 13 being retracted, the sheet will beimmediately advanced between the scoring rollers 5 and 6 of the formingmachine. Inasmuch as the speed of rotation of the rollers 5 and 6 isgreater than the rate of feed imparted to the sheet by the roller 24,the buckle will be almost immediately eliminated from the sheet and itwill be quickly advanced into the forming machineand quickly withdrawnfrom the pile. This quick withdrawal of the sheet from the pile willnecessarily cause the roller 24 to rotate ata speed greater than that atwhich it is normally driven, and this increase in speed is permitted bythe pawl and ratchet mechanism 27 and 28. l/Vhen the sheet has beencompletely withdrawn from the feed mechanism, the feed mechanism willimmediately take up the feeding of the next sheet, thus timing the feedof the sheet with respect to the time at which the stop 13 is againprojected through the table of the forming machine, so that when thenext sheet reaches the point at which the stop 13 is located, the stopwill be in position to prevent its further advance. .lVhen the sheetfirst fedhas passed between the rollers 3 and 4 and has been scored bythe rollers 5 and 6, it is caught up by the feed rollers 48 and advancedinto the forming machine and is pulled completely away from the rollers5 and 6, and this operation is so timed with respect to the rotation ofthe rollers 3 that when the portion 7 of these rollers comes to aposition beneath the roller 4 the sheet will have been completelywithdrawn from between the rollers 3 and 4 and the sto 13 will be freeto rise through the table un er the influence of the cam 10, and willstop the advance of the next sheet fed.

It will thus be seen that my feed mechanism simulates in all respectshand-feeding of a forming machine of this character, for the reasonthat, as in hand-feeding, there is always a sheet ready to be projectedagainst the stop 13 as soon asthe sheet previously fed is withdrawn fromthe point at which the stop rises. Asjust above stated, this readinessof the subsequent sheet is provided for in the timing of its feed by thewithdrawal of the previous sheet when its buckle has been taken up.

If, due to friction between the sheets of paper or cardboard in thepile, more than one sheet should be fed at a time under the influence ofthe roller 24, the additional sheet or sheets would be restored to theile by the roller 29' which, as hereinbe ore pointed out, rotates in adirection opposite to the direction of the feed of the paper.

Various changes are contemplated as within the spirit of the inventionand the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a forming machine, including asessential elements in its construction a forming mechanism, feed rollersand a stop member actuated in timed relation to the operation of theforming mechanism, of a sheet feeding mechanism for feedin sheetsseparately to said feed rollers, inc uding means to retain a pile ofsheets, a feed roller arranged for cooperation with said pile of sheetsand in contact with one of same, means for imparting rotation to thefeed roller of the sheet feeding mechanism to feed the sheet in contacttherewith ofl' of the pile of sheets and against the stop of the formingmachine and to continue the feed thereof after contact with said stop,and means embodied as a part of the forming machine for intermittentlywithdrawing said stop out of sheet engaging position to permitintroduction of the sheet into the forming machine by the feed rollersthereof, the feeding of the sheet into the forming machine by the feedrollers thereof timing the feed by the feed roller of the sheetfeedinglmechanism of the sheet next adjacent to t at just fed.

2. The combination with a forming machine, including as essentialelements in its construction a forming mechanism, feed rollers and astop member actuated in timed relation to the operation of the formingmechanism, of a sheet feeding mechanism for feedin sheets separately tosaid feed rollers, inc uding means to retain a pile of sheets, a-feedroller arranged for cooperation with said pile of sheets and in contactwith one of same, means for imparting constant rotation to'the feedroller of the sheet feeding mechanism to feed the sheet in contacttherewith off of the pile of sheets and against the. stop of the formingmachine and to continue the feed thereof after conta'ct'with said stop,and means embodied asa part of the forming machine for intermittentlywithdrawing said stop out of sheet engaging osition to permitintroduction of the sheet into the forming machine by the feed rollersthereof at a speed greater than that induced by the feed roller of thefeeding machine, the feeding of the sheet into the formin machine by thefeed rollers thereof timlng the feed by the feed roller of the sheetfeeding mechanism of the sheet next adjacent to that just fed.

3. The combination with a forming machine, including as essentialelements in its construction a forming mechanism, feed rollers and astop member actuated in timed relation to the operation of the formingmechanism, of a sheet feeding mechanism for feeding sheets separately tosaid feed rollers, including means to retain a pile of sheets, a feedroller arranged for cooperation with said pile of sheets and in contactwith one of same, means for imparting constant rotation to the feedroller of the sheet feeding mechanism to feed the sheet in contacttherewith off of the pile of sheets and against the stop of the formingmachine and to continue the feed thereof after contact with said stop toform a buckle in the sheet, and means embodied as a part of the formingmachine for intermittently withdrawing said stop out of sheet enga ingposition to permit introduction of the s eet into the forming machine bythe feed rollers thereof at a speed greater than that induced by thefeed roller of the feeding machine, the feeding of the sheet into theforming machine by the feed rollers thereof eliminatg said buckle andthereby timing the feed by the feed roller of the sheet feedingmechanism of the sheet next adjacent to that just fed. 7

In testimon whereof I have hereunto set my hand t s 9th day of March A.D. 1925.

LUCIAN E. PARKER.

